Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
i agree with your points! plus yes half the fun here is to think about what COULD have happened

I wonder when this "dictate" from Berry that Diana is the official lead singer came about. was it right before WDOLG? was it earlier? it's mentioned in a lot of books but the exact timing seems hazy. after summer of 61, we really don't have either F or M handling many leads. At least based on what we've received in the EEs. of course motown might not have saved the leads, erasing them or recording over them.

so by 62, diana was the lead singer. but you're point is spot on that M and F were used more and used effectively to add to the songs. just like the other thread i started on here about how some songs really utilized the group.

on the WDOLG album you have:
*the shared leads on the chorus of Breathtaking
*Flo's lead on the outro of Long Gone
*extensive 3-part harmony on Kiss of Fire, Come See, Baby Love, I'm giving you your freedom, Breathtaking
*the brief individual lines on the bridge of BAby Love

on More hits you still have extensive 3 part harmonies and a lot of group interplay in the songs. With Symphony you have 3 part but there's less group interplay. A go Go at least has a mary lead but that's it

on the Specialty albums, they at least almost always recorded a track that features M and F
*Country - mary on sunset, shared leads on Makes no diff
*liverpool - flo lead on I Saw Him, Mary co-lead on You Really Got a hold
*Sam cooke - Flo on Good news, mary does brief intro line on Chain Gang
*There's a place - flo on People, mary on our day
*Xmas - Flo on Silent Night and O Holy Night, mary on Christmas Song
*R&H - mary on Falling in love, flo on Manhattan
Mary wrote in her first book that the edict of Diana as lead singer happened somewhere between "Lovelight" and "Where". JRT wrote in CHMR of a story relayed by Florence during the recording of "Makes No Difference Now" where she and Mary overheard Diana complaining about sharing the lead on the song even though she was the official lead singer.

Now we know the first version of the song was cut in early 1963. The version that made the album was the re-recorded version from late 1964. The question is which version were the girls recording when this happened as that might give us some insight into when exactly the official mandate was put in place. The case for 1963 is the fact that after 1961 there was no other non Diana led single released. And thus far, there is no known non Diana led recording from the whole of 1962. On the other hand, the story Flo recalls sounds ripe for a Diana who has sung lead on at least two number one hits by the re-recording of "Difference" and was feeling a bit cocky and full of herself. Also, in 1962 and 1963 it may have been premature for Gordy to make such a proclamation when the girls hadn't had a hit no matter who was singing lead. Makes much more sense that with the increase of work with HDH, and the eventual high placement of "Lovelight", that Gordy would have been convinced with finality that Diana was the key regarding the voices to get the group to the top.

So my belief is that Mary is probably right, that it happened sometime between "Lovelight" and "Where".